FDA Approves Next-Generation Drug-Eluting Stent as Treatment for Coronary Artery Disease [Source: Medtronic, Inc. USA]
People with heart disease, and the doctors who treat them, now have access to a new medical device to treat narrowed coronary arteries. The FDA has approved a new drug-eluting stent from Medtronic called Endeavor, the first new drug-eluting stent to be launched in the United States in more than three years. Enabling a minimally invasive alternative to open-heart bypass surgery, stents are tiny wire mesh cylinders used to prop open coronary arteries that have been cleared of blockages resulting from heart disease. Drug-eluting stents deliver medication to the artery wall to reduce the risk of the artery becoming blocked again. Use of drug-eluting stents has declined during the past year, however, because of concern about their long-term safety. Medtronic’s Endeavor stent addresses this concern in its design, which promotes healthy healing inside the artery and minimizes the risk of potentially dangerous blood clots forming on the stent.
Shotlist:
Animation showing the placement of the Endeavor stent, drug elution, and healthy healing inside a coronary artery, narrated by Dr. Leon
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